The year descended rapidly. Illness and death fell upon several people in our family circle. Following on the heels of these losses, my professional life was dwindling, my photography studio barely sustainable. And then came COVID-19. Loss of work. Closure of my studio and early retirement. Separation from family and friends. Racial tension. Political division. Our nation, deeply polarized, crying for change. In just weeks, I swam through feelings of isolation, anxiety, anger, despair, division, exhaustion. Photography is my voice, and I felt compelled to portray the emotions eroding my core. These portraits are the result of that depressive period, a portrayal of the new normal - isolated and scarred lives, uncertain of what lay ahead. I intended to continue this project beyond the few photographs you see here, but felt a pressing need to counterbalance the negativity. Create photographs that promote a path toward healing. If there's any clarity that arose from 2020, it's that we all need to peel back our protective layers and invite constructive dialogue. We have to clear past myopic, cherry-picked assaults, strengthen our tolerance, expand our understanding and reclaim civility. In the weeks that followed, that desire to communicate positivity resulted in The Listen Project, my social media soapbox advocating for informed, mature dialogue.